Light-emitting device

ABSTRACT

A light-emitting device includes a board, a light-emitting element mounted on a surface of the board, a support member on which the board is placed, and a cover having a plate shaped main cover body covering the light-emitting element and a tubular portion which receives a light guide body that guides light emitted from the light-emitting element. The main cover body includes a base, a protrusion protruding from the base toward the board, and a ridge disposed on a protruded end of the protrusion. A step is formed by the protrusion and the ridge, and the protrusion and the ridge extend in a same direction along the base.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of prior U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/732,667, filed Jan. 2, 2020, which is acontinuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/005,925 (nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,543,781 B2), filed Jun. 12, 2018, which is acontinuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/374,371 (nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,017,108 B2), filed Dec. 9, 2016, which is acontinuation of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/399,613 (nowU.S. Pat. No. 9,551,821 B2), filed 7 Nov. 2014 as the US National Phaseof International Application PCT/JP2012/061924 filed 9 May 2012, whichis based on but does not claim priority under 35 USC 119 based onJapanese Patent Application Nos. 2010-233449 and 2010-233453, both filed18 Oct. 2010. The entire disclosures of all of the discussed relatedapplications are incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a light-emitting device having a boardon which a light-emitting element is mounted.

BACKGROUND ART

Heretofore, light-emitting devices that are provided with alight-emitting diode (LED) have widely been used to illuminate thepassenger compartments of vehicles.

There has been proposed a technical idea that, in a light-emittingdevice of the above type, a lens (light guide) for covering an LED isdisposed on the mounting surface of a board on which the LED is mounted,and a case is mounted on a connector while pressing an upper surface ofthe lens toward the board, thereby sandwiching and holding the lens andthe board (see, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No.2010-083210).

According to the invention disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open PatentPublication No. 2010-083210, however, since the board and the lens aresandwiched and held using the case and the connector, it is necessary tomake the lens relatively strong. Consequently, the lens itself becomeslarge in size, and accordingly the light-emitting device becomes largein size and weight as a whole.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-239255, for example,proposes a light-emitting device wherein a board is held in positionwith stress acting on a light guide being reduced. The light-emittingdevice is provided with a case and a cover fitting into the case. Aboard with a bombshell-shaped LED lamp mounted thereon is disposed in achamber that is defined between the case and the cover, which sandwichthe board therebetween.

Specifically, the case has a pair of confronting side walls havingrespective holes defined therein. The cover that is held in abutmentagainst one surface (mounting surface) of the board has teeth fitted inthe holes of the side walls. The side walls are joined by a wall havinga lower end surface. Under a condition that the lower end surface abutsagainst the other surface of the board, the teeth are fitted in theholes, whereby the board is held.

Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-239255 also discloses atechnical idea wherein a tubular portion for inserting therein arod-shaped light guide body (light guide) for guiding light emitted fromthe LED lamp is disposed in the case and the tubular portion has on aninner surface thereof a protrusion for positioning the light guide body,thereby keeping the distance between the light guide body and the LEDlamp constant.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

However, there is nothing disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open PatentPublication No. 2009-239255 as to how the light guide body is positionedby the protrusion. If the end face of the light guide body that facesthe LED lamp is held in abutment against the protrusion, therebypositioning the light guide body vertically inside the tubular portion,then the light guide body tends to move with respect to the tubularportion by gravity, consequently increasing the distance between thelight-emitting element and the light guide body or displacing the lightguide body from the tubular portion.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. It isan object of the present invention to provide a light-emitting devicewhich is capable of keeping the distance between a light-emittingelement and a light guide constant regardless of the orientation of thelight-emitting device and which is reduced in size and weight.

According to the present invention, there is provided a light-emittingdevice including a board holding an end of a connection terminal and onwhich an electronic component is mounted, a light-emitting elementmounted on a surface of the board, a support member on which the boardis placed, and a cover positioning and holding the board by beingmounted in the support member while in abutment against the surface ofthe board.

The cover has a main cover body covering the surface of the board, and alight guide for passing therethrough light emitted from thelight-emitting element is disposed on the main cover body while beingprevented from moving along a direction to sandwich the board (firstfeature).

Preferably, the cover has a pair of protrusions positioned such that thelight-emitting element is interposed between the protrusions, and theprotrusions being integrally formed with the main cover body, theprotrusions include ridges abutting against the surface of the board,and first engaging portions, and the support member has a chamberdefined therein for accommodating the board and the cover, and also hassecond engaging portions for engaging with the first engaging portions,and the first engaging portions engage with the second engaging portionsto thereby position and hold the board with the cover (second feature).

Preferably, the support member is integrally formed of a resin material,and the cover is integrally formed of a resin material (third feature).

Preferably, the first engaging portions are mounting teeth havingtapered surfaces formed thereon, and the second engaging portions aremounting holes in which the first engaging portions are fitted (fourthfeature).

Preferably, the chamber is defined in the support member by a wall, thewall including a bottom surface and a pair of steps rising from thebottom surface, and the board has another surface spaced from the bottomsurface and placed on upper surfaces of the steps (fifth feature).

Preferably, the connection terminal includes an adhered sectionconnected to the board, and a lead section contiguous to the adheredsection and extending parallel to the surface of the board, and thecover has a terminal holder holding the lead section (sixth feature).

Preferably, the electronic component is electrically connected to thelight-emitting element and mounted on only the surface of the board(seventh feature).

Preferably, the light guide is a lens for diverging or converting lightemitted from the light-emitting element, the lens being integrallyformed with the cover body in confronting relation to the light-emittingelement (eighth feature).

Preferably, the light guide is a light guide body for guiding lightemitted from the light-emitting element, the main cover body has atubular portion in which the light guide is mounted, and the tubularportion has, on an inner surface thereof, a first stopper for abuttingagainst the light guide to thereby prevent the light guide from movingin a direction toward the board, and a second stopper for abuttingagainst the light guide that is held in abutment against the firststopper, to thereby prevent the light guide from moving in a directionaway from the board (ninth feature).

Preferably, the tubular portion is integrally formed of a resin material(tenth feature).

Preferably, the light guide has a main light guide body, and a convexityfor abutting against the second stopper, the convexity being integrallyformed with an outer surface of the main light guide body, the convexitybeing held in abutment against the second stopper to thereby prevent thelight guide from moving in a direction away from the board (eleventhfeature).

Preferably, at least one of the second stopper and the convexity has atapered surface formed thereon (twelfth feature).

Preferably, a rotation limiter is formed on contacting surfaces of thetubular portion and the main light guide body (thirteenth feature).

Preferably, the first stopper includes two first stoppers disposed inconfronting relation to each other, and the second stopper includes twosecond stoppers disposed in confronting relation to each other(fourteenth feature).

Preferably, a curved section is disposed between the adhered section andthe lead section (fifteenth feature).

Preferably, at least either of the first engaging portions or the secondengaging portions are disposed so as to interpose the light guidetherebetween (sixteenth feature).

Preferably, the lead section includes a bent portion, the support memberhas a bent groove portion of a shape corresponding to a shape of thebent portion, and the bent portion is disposed for abutment against agroove side surface of the bent groove portion (seventeenth feature).

According to the first feature of the invention, the board is positionedand held by the cover that is mounted on the support member while beingheld in abutment against the surface of the board. Since the board isheld in position with reduced stresses acting on the light guide, thelight-emitting device can be reduced in size and weight.

Inasmuch as the light guide is disposed on the main cover body whilebeing prevented from moving in a direction to sandwich the board, thedistance between the light-emitting element and the light guide is keptconstant regardless of the orientation of the light-emitting device.

According to the second feature of the invention, the first engagingportions disposed respectively on the protrusions integrally formed withthe main cover body engage with the second engaging portions on thesupport member thereby to hold the board with the cover. Therefore, theboard can be held stably with respect to the support member. Thus, thelight-emitting device as a whole can effectively be reduced in size andweight.

The protrusions have the respective ridges held in abutment against thesurface of the board. Therefore, even when a plurality of light-emittingdevices are manufactured, the distance between the light-emittingelement and the light guide is kept constant. As a result, thelight-emitting device is prevented from having quality variations.

According to the third feature of the invention, since both the supportmember and the cover are made of a resin material, when the cover isfitted in the support member, the cover is resiliently held in positionflexibly.

According to the fourth feature of the invention, the first engagingportions are the mounting teeth having the tapered surfaces, and thesecond engaging portions are the mounting holes, so that the cover caneasily be inserted into the support member.

According to the fifth feature of the invention, when the other surfaceof the board abuts against the upper surfaces of the steps, a gap isformed between the board and the bottom surface. Owing thereto, heatgenerated by the light-emitting element, etc. is dissipated into thegap, so that any increase in the temperature of the light-emittingelement, etc. can be made smaller than if the entire other surface ofthe board is held in contact with the bottom surface.

According to the sixth feature of the invention, since the lead sectionof the connection terminal is held by the terminal holder of the coverwhile the adhered section of the connection terminal is connected to theboard, the board is held in position more stably.

According to the seventh feature of the invention, as the electroniccomponent is mounted on only the surface of the board (the surface onwhich the light-emitting element is mounted), the light-emitting devicecan suitably be made smaller in size and weight as a whole than if theelectronic component is mounted on the other surface of the board.

According to the eighth feature of the invention, as the light guide isthe lens, the degree of divergence or convergence of light (lightdistribution characteristics) that has passed through the lens isprevented from varying. Furthermore, as the light guide is integrallyformed with the main cover body, the number of parts used can bereduced, and the distance between the light guide and the light-emittingelement can be kept constant.

According to the ninth feature of the invention, since the light guidewhich is the light guide body for guiding light emitted from thelight-emitting element is held in abutment against the first stopper ofthe tubular portion to prevent the light guide from moving toward theboard, the light guide can be positioned in the tubular portion.Moreover, since the light guide is held in abutment against the secondstopper while being held in abutment against the first stopper, therebypreventing the light guide from moving in the direction away from theboard, the light guide is not displaced in position with respect to thetubular portion even if, for example, the light-emitting device isoriented such that the opening of the tubular portion remote from theboard is oriented vertically downwardly. The distance between thelight-emitting element and the light guide can thus be kept constantregardless of the orientation of the light-emitting device.

According to the ninth feature of the invention, since the light guideis positioned and held by the first stopper and the second stopper onthe inner surface of the tubular portion, it is not necessary to formholes in the wall of the tubular portion for holding the light guide.Consequently, light emitted from the light-emitting element is free fromthe problem of leaking out through such holes. Accordingly, the qualityof the light-emitting device can be increased without involving anincrease in the number of parts used.

According to the tenth feature of the invention, as the tubular portionis made of a resin material, when the light guide is inserted into thetubular portion, the tubular portion is bent radially outwardly.Therefore, the light guide can easily be inserted into the tubularportion.

According to the eleventh feature of the invention, inasmuch as theconvexity for abutting against the second stopper is integrally formedwith the outer surface of the main light guide body, when the lightguide is inserted into the tubular portion, the convexity is pressedagainst the second stopper, whereby the tubular portion is bent radiallyoutwardly. The light guide can thus more easily be inserted into thetubular portion.

According to the twelfth feature of the invention, because at least oneof the second stopper and the convexity has the tapered surface formedthereon, the light guide can more easily be inserted into the tubularportion.

According to the thirteenth feature of the invention, as the rotationlimiter is formed on the contacting surfaces of the tubular portion andthe main light guide body, the light guide inserted in the tubularportion is suitably prevented from rotating in circumferentialdirections of the tubular portion.

According to the fourteenth feature of the invention, the paired firststoppers are disposed in confronting relation to each other, and thepaired second stoppers are disposed in confronting relation to eachother. Therefore, the light guide can be positioned and held in thetubular portion in a more well-balanced fashion than if one firststopper and one second stopper are provided. Since the paired firststoppers are disposed in confronting relation to each other, when thetubular portion (cover) is to be formed by injection molding, a coredisposed in the tubular portion may be made up of separate members ofsuitable size for easy removal of the core from the tubular portion.

According to the fifteenth feature of the invention, as the curvedsection is disposed between the adhered section and the lead section, ashock acting on the adhered section can appropriately be reduced by thecurved section even if, for example, a connector for supplying electricpower is connected to the lead section.

According to the sixteenth feature of the invention, the plural firstengaging portions or the plural second engaging portions are disposed soas to interpose the light guide therebetween. Consequently, the lightguide is appropriately prevented from being displaced in position withrespect to the support member. In other words, the supporting rigidityfor the light guide can be increased.

According to the seventeenth feature of the invention, the bent portionis capable of abutting against the groove surface which defines the bentgroove portion. Therefore, the groove side surface acts as a loadreceiving portion when a connector for supplying electric power isconnected to the lead section. Therefore, the adhered section canappropriately be prevented from being damaged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a light-emitting device according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the light-emitting deviceshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a case of the light-emitting device shown inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a cover of the light-emitting deviceshown in FIG. 2, as viewed from behind;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line V-V of FIG. 1 beforethe cover is mounted in place;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a plan view, partly in cross section, of the light-emittingdevice shown in FIG. 1 which is disposed on a vehicle body panel;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a light-emitting device according to afirst modification;

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the light-emitting deviceshown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a cover of the light-emitting deviceshown in FIG. 10, as viewed from behind;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a procedure forinstalling a light guide body in a tubular portion of the cover;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII of FIG. 9before the cover is mounted in place;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV of FIG. 9after the cover is mounted in place;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XV-XV of FIG. 9;

FIG. 16 is a plan view, partly in cross section, of the light-emittingdevice according to the first embodiment of the present invention whichis disposed on a vehicle body panel;

FIG. 17 is an exploded perspective view of a light-emitting deviceaccording to a second modification of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of the light-emitting device shown inFIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a light-emitting device according to a thirdmodification of the present invention;

FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of a light-emitting deviceaccording to a fourth modification of the present invention; and

FIG. 21 is a plan view of a case of the light-emitting device shown inFIG. 20.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Light-emitting devices according to preferred embodiments of the presentinvention will be described in detail below with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

A light-emitting device 10 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention is used to illuminate the passenger compartment of a vehicle.As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light-emitting device 10 includes alight-emitting element 12 as a light source, a board 14 having arectangular shape in planar view with the light-emitting element 12mounted thereon, an electronic component 18 mounted on a surface(hereinafter also referred to as “mounting surface”) 16 of the board 14on which the light-emitting element 12 is mounted, the electroniccomponent 18 being electrically connected to the light-emitting element12, a pair of connection terminals (terminals) 20 a, 20 b connected tothe board 14, a case (support member) 22 housing the board 14, etc.therein, and a cover 24 mounted on the case 22.

The light-emitting element 12 comprises an LED, for example, but maycomprise an organic EL device or the like. The LED and the organic ELdevice may be of known technology. The light-emitting element 12 islocated off the longitudinal center of the board 14 toward one endthereof.

The electronic component 18, which serves to control the supply ofelectric power to the light-emitting element 12, etc., comprises aresistor, a diode, or the like, for example. The electronic component 18is positioned substantially at the transverse center of the board 14,and located off the longitudinal center of the board 14 toward the otherend thereof.

The board 14 has a pair of through holes 26 a, 26 b defined thereincloser to the other end thereof than the electronic component 18 alongthe longitudinal directions of the board 14. The connection terminals 20a, 20 b have ends inserted respectively in the through holes 26 a, 26 b,which may be spaced from each other by a desired distance. However, thedistance between the through holes 26 a, 26 b should preferably be largeenough to keep the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b out of contact witheach other when the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b are inserted in thethrough holes 26 a, 26 b and secured in place. A conductor in a planarform, e.g., in the form of a foil, is disposed on a reverse side 28 ofthe board 14. The light-emitting element 12, the electronic component18, and the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b are electrically connectedto each other by the conductor to thereby produce a heat radiatingeffect.

As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 7, the connection terminal 20 a hasopposite end faces formed flatwise. However, the opposite ends of theconnection terminal 20 a are not limited to any shape, but may be of atapered shape, for example. The tapered opposite ends of the connectionterminal 20 a allow one end of the connection terminal 20 a to beinserted easily into the through hole 26 a, and allows the other endthereof to be mounted on an external connector for supplying electricpower, to be described later.

The connection terminal 20 a is in the form of a slender metal rod(metal plate) having a rectangular cross-sectional shape. The connectionterminal 20 a has an adhered section (attached section) 30 (see FIG. 7),which is soldered to the board 14 while being inserted into the throughhole 26 a of the board 14, an arcuately curved section 32 contiguous tothe adhered section 30, and a lead section 34 contiguous to the curvedsection 32 and extending toward the other end of the connection terminal20 a.

The connection terminal 20 a has a wall thickness T1 (see FIG. 7) set tosuch a thickness as to make the curved section 32 flexible. Owingthereto, the curved section 32 can be bent to adjust the positionalrelationship between the adhered section 30 and the lead section 34. Thelead section 34 is connected to the external connector for supplyingelectric power, not shown, so that the light-emitting element 12 can besupplied with electric power from outside. The connection terminal 20 b,which is inserted in the through hole 26 b, is identical in structure tothe connection terminal 20 a, and hence will not be described in detailbelow.

As shown in FIG. 3, the case 22 has a case body 36 which is wide andextends in one direction with the board 14 housed therein, and aconnector 38 which is narrow and is connected to the case body 36. Thecase body 36 and the connector 38 are integrally made of a resin or thelike.

As shown in FIG. 5, the case body 36 has a bottom 40 which is of asubstantially rectangular shape as viewed in plan, a pair of first steps42 a, 42 b disposed on transversely opposite ends of the bottom 40, apair of second steps 44 a, 44 b contiguous respectively to the firststeps 42 a, 42 b, a pair of side walls 46 a, 46 b contiguousrespectively to the second steps 44 a, 44 b, a wall 48 disposedvertically on the bottom 40 and extending to positions near the upperends of the side walls 46 a, 46 b, and a thick wall 50 (see FIG. 2)disposed vertically on the bottom 40 in confronting relation to the wall48.

The first steps 42 a, 42 b extend along the side walls 46 a, 46 b andhave ends held against the wall 48 and the other ends held against thewall 50. The first steps 42 a, 42 b have respective first verticalsurfaces 43 a, 43 b contiguous to an inner surface (a surfaceconfronting the board 14, a bottom surface) 40 a of the bottom 40, andfirst upper surfaces 45 a, 45 b contiguous respectively to the firstvertical surfaces 43 a, 43 b.

The width W1 of the first vertical surfaces 43 a, 43 b (the height ofthe first steps 42 a, 42 b) is about the same as the thickness T2 of theboard 14. When the board 14 is placed on the first upper surfaces 45 a,45 b, an appropriate gap S is defined between the board 14 and thebottom 40. Heat generated by the light-emitting element 12 and theelectronic component 18 is dissipated into the gap S, so that increasein the temperature of the light-emitting element 12 and the electroniccomponent 18 can be made smaller than if the entire reverse side 28 ofthe board 14 is held in contact with the bottom 40.

The second steps 44 a, 44 b extend along the side walls 46 a, 46 b andhave ends held against the wall 48 and the other ends held against theconnector 38. The second steps 44 a, 44 b have respective secondvertical surfaces 47 a, 47 b contiguous respectively to the first uppersurfaces 45 a, 45 b, and second upper surfaces 49 a, 49 b contiguousrespectively to the second vertical surfaces 47 a, 47 b. The width W2 ofthe second vertical surfaces 47 a, 47 b (the height of the second steps44 a, 44 b) is greater than the thickness T2 of the board 14. When theboard 14 is placed on the first upper surfaces 45 a, 45 b, the secondupper surfaces 49 a, 49 b are positioned above the mounting surface 16of the board 14.

The distance between the second vertical surfaces 47 a, 47 b isessentially the same as the transverse width of the board 14, therebylimiting transverse movement of the board 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the side wall 46 a has a plurality of (two in FIG.2) mounting holes (second engaging portions) 52 a, 52 b that are spacedfrom each other by a predetermined distance, and the side wall 46 bsimilarly has mounting holes (second engaging portions) 52 c, 52 d. Themounting holes 52 a, 52 b and the mounting holes 52 c, 52 d are in theform of quadrangle-shaped openings complementary in shape respectivelyto mounting teeth (first engaging portions) 70 a, 70 b and mountingteeth (first engaging portions) 70 c, 70 d of the cover 24, to bedescribed later.

The mounting holes 52 a, 52 b and the mounting holes 52 c, 52 d arepositioned slightly above the centers of the side walls 46 a, 46 b.Therefore, when the cover 24 is installed in the case 22, the side walls46 a, 46 b are elastically deformed outwardly by the mounting teeth 70a, 70 b and the mounting teeth 70 c, 70 d to a smaller extent than ifthe mounting holes 52 a, 52 b and the mounting holes 52 c, 52 d arepositioned below the centers of the side walls 46 a, 46 b. Consequently,the cover 24 can be installed in the case 22 with a smaller force.

The mounting holes 52 a, 52 b in the side wall 46 a are positioned alongthe longitudinal directions of the case 22 such that the distancebetween an end of the side wall 46 a and the mounting hole 52 a, thedistance between the mounting hole 52 a and the mounting hole 52 b, andthe distance between the mounting hole 52 b and the other end of theside wall 46 a are equal to each other. The mounting hole 52 c in theside wall 46 b faces the mounting hole 52 a, whereas the mounting hole52 d in the side wall 46 b faces the mounting hole 52 b. Consequently,the case 22 can hold the cover 24 in a more well-balanced fashion thanif the mounting holes 52 a, 52 b and the mounting holes 52 c, 52 d arestaggered along the longitudinal directions of the case 22.

The side walls 46 a, 46 b have on their outer surfaces respective fixingfingers Ma, 54 b positioned respectively between the mounting holes 52a, 52 b and between the mounting holes 52 c, 52 d for engaging withretaining portions 200 a, 200 b, to be described later, on a vehiclebody panel P (see FIG. 8). The fixing fingers Ma, 54 b extend along thelongitudinal directions of the case 22, and include respective taperedportions 57 a, 57 b that are integrally formed with bases 55 a, 55 bformed substantially in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. Eachof the tapered portions 57 a, 57 b is slanted downwardly and outwardlyfrom an upper end thereof.

The walls 48, 50 have such a height that the case 22 and the cover 24lie flush with each other when the cover 24 is mounted on the case 22(see FIGS. 1 and 7).

The wall 50 is substantially of a T shape as viewed in plan and has alength extending into the interior of the connector 38. The wall 50 hasa pair of placement grooves 56 a, 56 b defined substantially centrallyin an upper surface thereof and extending in longitudinal directions(see FIG. 3). The placement grooves 56 a, 56 b have a width that issubstantially the same as the width of the lead sections 34 of theconnection terminals 20 a, 20 b, and a depth that is substantially thesame as the thickness T1 of the lead sections 34 (see FIG. 7).

As shown in FIG. 1, the connector 38 is in the form of a hollowquadrangular prism housing the lead sections 34 of the connectionterminals 20 a, 20 b therein. An external connector for supplyingelectric power, not shown, can be inserted into the hollow body of theconnector 38. According to the present embodiment, the connector 38 hasa vertical thickness greater than the case body 36. The connector 38 hasa rectangular cutout 58 defined in a wall 57 thereof and having a widthcorresponding to the width of a cover extension 64 to be describedlater.

With the case 22 thus constructed, a space surrounded by the bottom 40,the first steps 42 a, 42 b, the second steps 44 a, 44 b, the side walls46 a, 46 b, the wall 48, and the wall 50, and the cutout 58 in theconnector 38 jointly make up a space (chamber) 59 in which the cover 24can be mounted.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the cover 24 is integrally formed of resin orthe like, and has a main cover body 60 which is of substantiallyrectangular shape as viewed in plan, a pair of protrusions 62 a, 62 bprojecting downwardly from transverse opposite ends of the main coverbody 60 along longitudinal directions, and a cover extension 64 having areduced width and extending from an end (other end) of the main coverbody 60.

The main cover body 60 has a lens (light guide) 66 on an end thereof fordiverging or converging light emitted from the light-emitting element12. According to the present embodiment, the lens 66 is constructed as adouble-convex lens. However, the lens 66 may be of an appropriatelyselected type and shape. The lens 66 is of a circular shape (trulycircular shape) as viewed in plan.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lens 66 is positioned between the mounting teeth70 a, 70 c to be described later. Specifically, when the light-emittingdevice 10 is assembled, the lens 66 is positioned between the mountingholes 52 a, 52 c in the widthwise directions of the cover 24.

Since the mounting teeth 70 a, 70 c are positioned near the lens 66, anypositional displacement of the lens 66 with respect to the case 22 issuitably suppressed, thereby making it possible to support the lens 66stably.

The distance by which the protrusions 62 a, 62 b project is determineddepending on the height of the side walls 46 a, 46 b.

The protrusions 62 a, 62 b have respective ridges 68 a, 68 b (see FIG.4). The ridges 68 a, 68 b are of the same length as the protrusions 62a, 62 b, and the distance by which the ridges 68 a, 68 b project isabout the same as the difference (W2−T2) between the width W2 of thesecond vertical surfaces 47 a, 47 b and the thickness T2 of the board 14(see FIG. 5).

The protrusions 62 a, 62 b have on their outer side surfaces themounting teeth 70 a, 70 b and the mounting teeth 70 c, 70 d that arespaced from each other. The mounting teeth 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, 70 d can befitted respectively in the mounting holes 52 a, 52 b, 52 c, 52 d. Thedistance by which the mounting teeth 70 a, 70 b and the mounting teeth70 c, 70 d are spaced from each other is identical to the distance bywhich the mounting holes 52 a, 52 b and the mounting holes 52 c, 52 dare spaced from each other. The mounting teeth 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, 70 dare substantially in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and havelower end portions progressively tapered downwardly.

According to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the distance L1from lower end faces 69 a, 69 b of the ridges 68 a, 68 b to upper endfaces of the mounting teeth 70 a, 70 b and the mounting teeth 70 c, 70 dis slightly greater than the distance L2 from the mounting surface 16 ofthe board 14 to upper ends of the mounting holes 52 a, 52 b and themounting holes 52 c, 52 d when the board 14 is placed on the first uppersurfaces 45 a, 45 b of the case body 36. The reasons for this will bedescribed later.

A terminal holder 72 which projects downwardly is disposed on theboundary between the main cover body 60 and the cover extension 64 (seeFIG. 4). The terminal holder 72 has a lower end face 73 that isintegrally joined to the lower end faces 69 a, 69 b of the ridges 68 a,68 b, thereby making up a flat surface.

The lower end face 73 of the terminal holder 72 has a pair of recesses74 a, 74 b defined therein that are spaced from each other along thetransverse directions of the main cover body 60 by a predetermineddistance which corresponds to the distance by which the placementgrooves 56 a, 56 b in the wall 50 are spaced from each other.

A groove 76 for holding the external connector for supplying electricpower therein is defined in a lower surface of the cover extension 64 ina region adjacent to the terminal holder 72.

A procedure for assembling the light-emitting device 10 according to thepresent embodiment will be described below. First, the light-emittingelement 12 and the electronic component 18 are installed on the surface16 of the board 14. The adhered sections 30 of the connection terminals20 a, 20 b are inserted into the respective through holes 26 a, 26 b inthe board 14, and soldered to the board 14.

Thereafter, the board 14 with the light-emitting element 12, etc.installed thereon is introduced into the case 22. At this time, as shownin FIG. 5, the reverse side 28 of the board 14 is brought into contactwith the first upper surfaces 45 a, 45 b, and side surfaces of the board14 are brought into contact with the second vertical surfaces 47 a, 47b, with the lead sections 34 of the connection terminals 20 a, 20 bbeing accommodated in the respective placement grooves 56 a, 56 b in thewall 50. The board 14 and the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b are thuspositioned in the case 22.

Then, the cover 24 is mounted in the case 22. Specifically, when thecover 24 approaches the case 22, tip ends of the protrusions 62 a, 62 bof the cover 24 enter the case body 36 while outer surfaces of theprotrusions 62 a, 62 b are in contact with inner surfaces of the sidewalls 46 a, 46 b of the case body 36, until the mounting teeth 70 a, 70b and the mounting teeth 70 c, 70 d contact the side walls 46 a, 46 b.

When the cover 24 is pressed toward the bottom 40 of the case body 36,the side walls 46 a, 46 b are elastically deformed in directions awayfrom each other, and by reaction forces from the side walls 46 a, 46 b,the protrusions 62 a, 62 b are elastically deformed in directions towardeach other. In the above state, the protrusions 62 a, 62 b move furtherinto the case body 36.

Thereafter, the lower end faces 69 a, 69 b of the ridges 68 a, 68 b arebrought into contact with the mounting surface 16 of the board 14, andlower end faces of the protrusions 62 a, 62 b are brought into contactwith the second upper surfaces 49 a, 49 b. As described above, since thedistance L1 from the lower end faces 69 a, 69 b to the upper end facesof the mounting teeth 70 a, 70 b and the mounting teeth 70 c, 70 d isgreater than the distance L2 from the mounting surface 16 of the board14 to the upper ends of the mounting holes 52 a, 52 b, 52 c, 52 d, themounting teeth 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, 70 d in this state are not yet fittedin the mounting holes 52 a, 52 b, 52 c, 52 d.

When the cover 24 is further pressed toward the bottom 40, the case body36 and the cover 24 are slightly deformed, allowing the cover 24 to movefurther into the case body 36 until the mounting teeth 70 a, 70 b, 70 c,70 d are fitted in the mounting holes 52 a, 52 b, 52 c, 52 d (see FIG.6). At this time, the protrusions 62 a, 62 b and the side walls 46 a, 46b that have been elastically deformed return to their respectiveoriginal shapes. As a result, the cover 24 is mounted in the case 22while the lower end faces 69 a, 69 b of the ridges 68 a, 68 b arepressing (abutting against) the mounting surface 16 of the board 14. Thelower end face 73 of the terminal holder 72 is now held in abutmentagainst the lead sections 34 of the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b (seeFIG. 7).

As shown in FIG. 8, the light-emitting device 10 thus assembled isdisposed in a predetermined position on the vehicle body panel P of avehicle, not shown. Specifically, the light-emitting device 10 is set onthe side of the reverse side of the vehicle body panel P such that thelens 66 faces a window H defined in the vehicle body panel P, and thelight-emitting device 10 is moved toward the vehicle body panel P. Theresin-made retaining portions 200 a, 200 b, which are formed on thereverse side of the vehicle body panel P, are brought into contact withthe tapered portions 57 a, 57 b of the fixing fingers Ma, 54 b of thelight-emitting device 10.

When the light-emitting device 10 is further pressed toward the vehiclebody panel P, the light-emitting device 10 moves toward the vehicle bodypanel P while the retaining portions 200 a, 200 b are being elasticallydeformed in directions away from each other, until the lens 66 is fittedinto the window H. At this time, the retaining portions 200 a, 200 bwhich have been elastically deformed return to their respective originalshapes. As a consequence, the light-emitting device 10 is gripped by thevehicle body panel P and the retaining portions 200 a, 200 b, wherebythe light-emitting device 10 is securely fixed to the vehicle body panelP.

According to the present embodiment, the cover 24 is mounted in the case22 while being held in abutment against the surface 16 of the board 14,whereby the board 14 is positioned and held. Owing thereto, the board 14is held in position with reduced stresses acting on the lens 66, andthus the light-emitting device 10 can be reduced in size and weight.Inasmuch as the lens 66 is disposed on the main cover body 60 whilebeing prevented from moving in a direction to sandwich the board 14, thedistance between the light-emitting element 12 and the lens 66 is keptconstant regardless of the orientation of the light-emitting device 10.

The LED device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No.2009-239255 is designed to eliminate failures due to external forcesapplied when it is installed on an external connector, and to reduce itssize. The disclosed LED device has a case and a cover fitting into thecover. The LED device has a printed-circuit board supporting abombshell-shaped LED lamp as a light source thereon, and connectionterminals held by the printed-circuit board and the case. The LED deviceis fixed to an external device by fixing members inserted throughmounting holes defined in the case.

The case has a pair of confronting side walls having respective holesdefined therein. The cover, which is held in abutment against onesurface of the printed-circuit board, has teeth for being fitted in theholes of the side walls. The side walls are interconnected by a wallhaving a lower end face. In a state where the lower end face abutsagainst the other surface of the printed-circuit board, the teeth arefitted into the holes, whereby the printed-circuit board is held. Thecase has a tubular portion for optical fiber, the tubular portion beinginserted toward the LED lamp.

However, the LED device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open PatentPublication No. 2009-239255 is disadvantageous in that it cannot bereduced in size as desired because the bombshell-shaped LED lamp is usedand the case has the mounting holes. Further, since only the lower endface of the wall that interconnects the side walls having the holes isheld in abutment against the printed-circuit board, when a plurality ofLED devices are manufactured, the distance between the LED lamp and anopening of the tubular portion that faces the printed-circuit boardtends to vary. As a result, as the amount of light guided into theoptical fiber cannot be kept constant, the LED devices are likely tohave quality variations.

According to the invention disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open PatentPublication No. 2010-083210, since a board and a lens are gripped inposition using two parts, i.e., a case and a connector, thelight-emitting device is liable to have a large overall size and anincreased weight disadvantageously.

With the light-emitting device 10 according to the present embodiment,in a structure wherein light emitted from the light-emitting element 12passes through the lens 66, the lens 66 and the board 14 can be heldstably in place with a smaller number of parts than conventionaltechniques. Therefore, the light-emitting device 10 can be reduced insize and weight. Even when a plurality of light-emitting devices 10 aremanufactured, they are prevented from varying in quality.

Specifically, with the light-emitting device 10 according to the presentembodiment, inasmuch as the lower end faces 69 a, 69 b of the ridges 68a, 68 b of the cover 24 are pressed (abut) against the mounting surface16 of the board 14 while the reverse side 28 of the board 14 is held inabutment against the first upper surfaces 45 a, 45 b of the case body36, the board 14 is reliably held in the case 22. At this time, themounting teeth 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, 70 d of the cover 24 are fitted in themounting holes 52 a, 52 b, 52 c, 52 d in the case body 36, the cover 24is held with respect to the case 22.

According to the present embodiment, since the lens 66 is formed on themain cover body 60 of the cover 24, there is no need for parts forholding the lens 66 on the case 22. Therefore, the lens 66 and the board14 are held in the case 22 with a smaller number of parts thanconventional techniques. The light-emitting device 10 as a whole caneffectively be reduced in size and weight.

According to the present embodiment, the board 14 is pressed by theridges 68 a, 68 b of the cover 24 with the light-emitting element 12being disposed between the ridges 68 a, 68 b, and the protrusions 62 a,62 b are integral with the lens 66. Consequently, the distance betweenthe light-emitting element 12 and the lens 66 is kept constant. Thus,when a number of (a plurality of) such light-emitting devices 10 aremanufactured, the degree of divergence or convergence of the light thathas passed through the lens 66 is prevented from varying, i.e., lightdistribution characteristics and the quality of the light-emittingdevice 10 are prevented from varying. Furthermore, since the mountingteeth 70 a, 70 b and the mounting teeth 70 c, 70 d on the protrusions 62a, 62 b are fitted respectively in the mounting holes 52 a, 52 b and themounting holes 52 c, 52 d that are defined respectively in the sidewalls 46 a, 46 b, the board 14 can be stably held in position.

According to the present embodiment, with the cover 24 being mounted inthe case 22, the outer side surfaces of the ridges 68 a, 68 b of thecover 24 are held in contact with the second vertical surfaces 47 a, 47b of the case body 36. Therefore, the cover 24 and the board 14 aresuitably prevented from moving relatively to each other in theirtransverse directions. The light-emitting element 12 is thus heldsubstantially at the center of the lens 66, so that the quality of thelight-emitting device 10 is further prevented from varying.

According to the present embodiment, moreover, the lower end face 73 ofthe terminal holder 72 is held in abutment against the lead sections 34of the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b accommodated in the placementgrooves 56 a, 56 b. Consequently, the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b issuitably held in the case 22.

As there is no need for parts for holding the connection terminals 20 a,20 b, the light-emitting device 10 as a whole can effectively be reducedin size and weight. Since the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b are fixedto the board 14 by the adhered sections 30, the board 14 is more stablyheld in position by holding the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b.

Usually, the case 22 has a dimensional tolerance. Therefore, when theboard 14 with the light-emitting element 12, the connection terminals 20a, 20 b, etc. being mounted thereon is positioned in the case 22, forexample, the lead sections 34 of the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b mayslightly be lifted out of the placement grooves 56 a, 56 b.

Even in this case, with the light-emitting device 10 according to thepresent embodiment, since the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b have therespective curved sections 32, when the cover 24 is mounted in the case22, by bending the curved sections 32, the connection terminals 20 a, 20b can be held without applying undue stress to the adhered sections 30.The adhered sections 30 are thus prevented from suffering a connectionfailure.

The lower end face 73 of the terminal holder 72 has the pair of recesses74 a, 74 b defined therein, so that the curved sections 32 of theconnection terminals 20 a, 20 b are prevented from touching the cover24, thereby making it less difficult to mount the cover 24 in the case22. The light-emitting device 10 is made more compact in its entiretythan if the recesses 74 a, 74 b are not defined in the lower end face 73of the terminal holder 72, but a space is created between the curvedsections 32 and the lower end face 73 to prevent the curved sections 32from touching the lower end face 73.

According to the present embodiment, furthermore, as the electroniccomponent 18 is disposed on the mounting surface 16 of the board 14 onwhich the light-emitting element 12 is mounted, the light-emittingdevice 10 as a whole can suitably be made smaller in size and weightthan if the electronic component 18 is mounted on the reverse side 28 ofthe board 14.

According to the present embodiment, in a case where it is desired toreduce a shock applied from the lead sections 34 to the adhered sections(attached sections) 30, since the curved sections 32 are providedbetween the adhered sections 30 and the lead sections 34, when theconnector for supplying electric power, not shown, is connected to thelead sections 34, a shock acting on the adhered sections 30 canappropriately be reduced by the curved sections 32. The connectionterminals are curved at the curved sections and then extend at the leadsections. Since the connection terminals are spaced (lowered) in adirection away from the cover, the connection terminals contribute to areduction in the size of the light-emitting device.

According to the present invention, the mounting holes 52 a through 52 dare through holes, and thus it is possible to easily confirm that thecover 24 is reliably mounted in the case 22. The case body 36 is madecompact in its heightwise directions (vertical directions) with respectto the connector 38.

The electronic component 18 is disposed between the light-emittingelement 12 and the through holes 26 a, 26 b (terminal attachmentregions) and has its longitudinal directions aligned with the directionsalong which the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b are juxtaposed.

The case 22 and the cover 24 are narrower on the connector side than onthe lens side. The recesses 74 a, 74 b are formed as clearance areas atpositions facing the curved sections 32 of the connection terminals 20a, 20 b. The clearance areas may be of a beveled shape.

The present embodiment is not limited to the structural detailsdescribed above. A cushioning member may be interposed between the cover24 and the board 14 while a portion of the cover 24 is held in abutmentagainst the surface 16 of the board 14. The ridges 68 a, 68 b of thecover 24 may comprise cushioning members.

(First Modification)

A light-emitting device 10A according to a first modification will bedescribed below with reference to FIGS. 9 through 16. In the presentmodification, parts which have identical or similar functions andeffects to those according to the above embodiment are denoted byidentical reference characters, and will not be described in detailbelow. This holds true for a third modification and a fourthmodification to be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 9 through 11, the light-emitting device 10A accordingto the first modification has a cover 78 instead of the cover 24 of thelight-emitting device 10 described above. The cover 78 is integrallyformed of resin or the like by injection molding, and has a tubularportion 80 integrally formed with a main cover body 77 and in which alight guide body (light guide) 79 can be mounted.

The tubular portion 80 is substantially in the form of a hollow cylinderpositioned near one end of the main cover body 77. The inside (innerhole) of the tubular portion 80 is open at a lower end face of the maincover body 77, or in other words the main cover body has a through-holedefined therein which communicates with an inner hole of the tubularportion. As shown, the protrusions 62 a, 62 b are disposed on oppositesides of the through-hole, the protrusions extend a distance along theirlongitudinal direction which is greater than a diameter of thethrough-hole, and in a direction along which the through-hole extends,ends of the protrusions are positioned farther from a center of thethrough-hole than are ends of through-hole. The tubular portion 80 hasfour thick regions 82 a, 82 b, 82 c, 82 d spaced circumferentially fromeach other. The thick regions 82 a, 82 b, 82 c, 82 d extend fully alongthe axial directions of the tubular portion 80 and have substantiallyidentical circumferential lengths.

The thick region 82 a and the thick region 82 c are arrayed along thelongitudinal directions of the main cover body 77, whereas the thickregion 82 b and the thick region 82 d are arrayed along the transversedirections of the main cover body 77.

The thick region 82 b has a first stopper 86 a on a lower end portion ofan inner circumferential surface thereof, and the thick region 82 d hasa first stopper 86 b on a lower end portion of an inner circumferentialsurface thereof, the first stopper 86 b facing the first stopper 86 a(see FIG. 13). The thick region 82 b has an engaging groove 88 definedin an upper end portion of the inner circumferential surface thereof,the engaging groove 88 extending axially of the tubular portion 80 andbeing open at an upper end face of the tubular portion 80. The engaginggroove 88 may not be open at the upper end face of the tubular portion80. In other words, an upper end of the engaging groove 88 may bepositioned slightly beneath the upper end face of the tubular portion80. Each of the first stoppers 86 a, 86 b is substantially in the shapeof a rectangular parallelepiped and has an upper end face formedflatwise.

As shown in FIG. 12, the thick region 82 a has a groove 90 a defined inan inner circumferential surface thereof and extending axially of thetubular portion 80. The groove 90 a extends from a position that isslightly beneath the upper end of the tubular portion 80 to the lowerend of the tubular portion 80, whereby a second stopper 92 a is formedon an upper end portion of the inner circumferential surface of thethick region 82 a for abutment against (engagement with) a convexity 96a of the light guide body 79 to be described later.

The thick region 82 c has a groove 90 b defined in an innercircumferential surface thereof. The groove 90 b is identical in shapeto the groove 90 a and faces the groove 90 a. Thus, a second stopper 92b is formed on an upper end portion of the inner circumferential surfaceof the thick region 82 c for abutment against (engagement with) aconvexity 96 b of the light guide body 79 to be described later. Each ofthe second stoppers 92 a, 92 b is of a tapered shape that isprogressively thinner toward the upper end thereof and has a lower endface formed flatwise.

The light guide body 79 is transparent and integrally constructed of aresin material. As shown in FIGS. 10, 12, and 13, the light guide body79 has a cylindrical main light guide body 94, a pair of convexities 96a, 96 b formed on an outer circumferential surface of the main lightguide body 94 and insertable respectively into the grooves 90 a, 90 bdescribed above, and a substantially rectangular parallelepipedicengaging projection 98 disposed on the outer circumferential surface ofthe main light guide body 94 and extending axially of the main lightguide body 94.

The main light guide body 94 has an outside diameter corresponding tothe inside diameter of the tubular portion 80. Each of the convexities96 a, 96 b is substantially in the shape of a rectangularparallelepiped. Each of the convexities 96 a, 96 b has a lower endportion of a tapered shape that is progressively thinner downwardly andan upper end face formed flatwise. The convexities 96 a, 96 b are set toa size insertable into the grooves 90 a, 90 b.

The distance L3 from the lower end face of the main light guide body 94to the upper end faces of the convexities 96 a, 96 b is substantiallythe same as the distance L4 from the upper end faces of the firststoppers 86 a, 86 b to the lower end faces of the second stoppers 92 a,92 b, for reasons to be described later.

The engaging projection 98 has a width (a length along a directionperpendicular to the axial and radial directions of the main light guidebody 94) which is substantially the same as the width of the engaginggroove 88. When the engaging projection 98 is inserted in the engaginggroove 88, the engaging projection 98 is held in contact with a pair ofside surfaces of the engaging groove 88, so that the light guide body 79is reliably positioned with respect to the tubular portion 80 in thecircumferential directions of the tubular portion 80. The light guidebody 79 is thus prevented from being assembled in error in the tubularportion 80. Furthermore, the light guide body 79 that is mounted in thetubular portion 80 is suitably prevented from rotating in thecircumferential directions of the tubular portion 80.

According to the present modification, for assembling the light-emittingdevice 10A, the light guide body 79 is mounted in the tubular portion80. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the light guide body 79 isadjusted in orientation with respect to the cover 78 such that theengaging projection 98 can be inserted into the engaging groove 88, andthen is moved into the tubular portion 80. Then, while the outercircumferential surface of the main light guide body 94 and the innercircumferential surface of the tubular portion 80 are held in contactwith each other, the tapered surfaces of the convexities 96 a, 96 b arebrought into contact with the tapered surfaces of the second stoppers 92a, 92 b.

Then, when the light guide body 79 is pressed toward the main cover body77, the light guide body 79 is further moved into the tubular portion 80while the thick regions 82 a, 82 c are elastically deformed indirections away from each other (radially outwardly of the tubularportion 80), until the lower end face of the main light guide body 94abut against the upper end faces of the first stoppers 86 a, 86 b. Atthis time, the thick regions 82 a, 82 c that have been elasticallydeformed return to their respective original shapes, and the engagingprojection 98 is disposed in the engaging groove 88 and the convexities96 a, 96 b are disposed in the grooves 90 a, 90 b.

As described above, the distance L3 from the lower end face of the mainlight guide body 94 to the upper end faces of the convexities 96 a, 96 bis substantially the same as the distance L4 from the upper end faces ofthe first stoppers 86 a, 86 b to the lower end faces of the secondstoppers 92 a, 92 b. Therefore, the upper end face of the convexity 96 aabuts against the lower end face of the second stopper 92 a, and theupper end face of the convexity 96 b abuts against the lower end face ofthe second stopper 92 b. As a result, the light guide body 79 ispositioned and held in the tubular portion 80 (see FIG. 15). At thistime, the main light guide body 94 has a portion projecting from thetubular portion 80.

As shown in FIG. 16, the light-emitting device 10A thus assembled isdisposed in a predetermined position on the vehicle body panel P of avehicle, not shown. Specifically, the light-emitting device 10A is set(in a position indicated by the two-dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 16) onthe side of the reverse side of the vehicle body panel P such that anopening of the tubular portion 80 remote from the board 14 is orientedvertically downwardly and a window H defined in the vehicle body panel Pfaces the main light guide body 94, and the light-emitting device 10A ismoved toward the vehicle body panel P. Then, resin-made retainingportions 202 a, 202 b provided on the reverse side of the vehicle bodypanel P are brought into contact with the tapered portions 57 a, 57 b ofthe fixing fingers 54 a, 54 b of the light-emitting device 10A.

When the light-emitting device 10A is further pressed toward the vehiclebody panel P, the light-emitting device 10A moves toward the vehiclebody panel P while the retaining portions 202 a, 202 b are beingelastically deformed in directions away from each other, until thetubular portion 80 is brought into abutment against the reverse side ofthe vehicle body panel P and a portion of the main light guide body 94is fitted into the window H and exposed to the interior of the passengercompartment of the vehicle. At this time, the retaining portions 202 a,202 b which have been elastically deformed return to their respectiveoriginal shapes. As a consequence, the light-emitting device 10A isgripped by the vehicle body panel P and the retaining portions 202 a,202 b, and thus the light-emitting device 10A is securely fixed to thevehicle body panel P.

According to the light-emitting device 10A of the present modification,since the lower end face of the main light guide body 94 is held inabutment against the upper end faces of the first stoppers 86 a, 86 bwhile the light guide body 79 is mounted in the tubular portion 80, themovement of the light guide body 79 toward the board 14 is suppressed(prevented). The light guide body 79 is thus positioned in the tubularportion 80.

Furthermore, inasmuch as the upper end faces of the convexities 96 a, 96b, in the above state, are held in abutment against the lower end facesof the second stoppers 92 a, 92 b, the movement of the light guide body79 away from the board 14 is suppressed (prevented). Therefore, forexample, even if the light-emitting device 10A is oriented such that theopening of the tubular portion 80 remote from the board 14 is orientedvertically downwardly, the light guide body 79 is not displaced inposition with respect to the tubular portion 80. The distance betweenthe light-emitting element 12 and the light guide body 79 is thus keptconstant regardless of the orientation of the light-emitting device 10A.

According to the present modification, since the light guide body 79 ispositioned and held in the tubular portion 80 using the first stoppers86 a, 86 b and the second stoppers 92 a, 92 b, it is not necessary toform holes in the wall of the tubular portion 80 for holding the lightguide body 79. Consequently, the light emitted from the light-emittingelement 12 is free from the problem of leaking out through such holes.Accordingly, the quality of the light-emitting device 10A is increasedwithout involving an increase in the number of parts used.

According to the present embodiment, as the convexities 96 a, 96 bcapable of abutting against the second stoppers 92 a, 92 b areintegrally formed with the outer surface of the main light guide body94, when the light guide body 79 is inserted into the tubular portion80, the convexities 96 a, 96 b are pressed against the second stoppers92 a, 92 b, whereby the thick regions 82 a, 82 c are bent radiallyoutwardly of the tubular portion 80. The light guide body 79 can thuseasily be inserted into the tubular portion 80.

The light guide body 79 is pressed toward the main cover body 77 whilethe tapered surfaces of the convexities 96 a, 96 b of the light guidebody 79 are held in contact with the tapered surfaces of the secondstoppers 92 a, 92 b. Therefore, the thick regions 82 a, 82 c can easilybe bent radially outwardly of the tubular portion 80, so that the lightguide body 79 can more easily be inserted into the tubular portion 80.

The first stoppers 86 a, 86 b are disposed in confronting relation toeach other along the transverse directions of the main cover body 77,and the second stoppers 92 a, 92 b are disposed in confronting relationto each other along the longitudinal directions of the main cover body77. Therefore, the light guide body 79 can be positioned and held in thetubular portion 80 in a more well-balanced fashion than, for example, ifone first stopper 86 a and one second stopper 92 a are provided (i.e.,the first stopper 86 b and the second stopper 92 b are omitted). Whenthe cover 78 is to be formed by injection molding, a core disposed inthe tubular portion 80 can be made up of separate members of suitablesize for easy removal of the core from the tubular portion.

With the light-emitting device 10A according to the presentmodification, the protrusions 62 a, 62 b of the cover 78 presses themounting surface 16 of the board 14 with the light-emitting element 12being disposed between the protrusions 62 a, 62 b, and the mountingteeth 70 a, 70 b and the mounting teeth 70 c, 70 d disposed respectivelyon the protrusions 62 a, 62 b are fitted respectively in the mountingholes 52 a, 52 b and the mounting holes 52 c, 52 d defined respectivelyin the side walls 46 a, 46 b. Therefore, the distance between thelight-emitting element 12 and the light guide body 79 is kept constant.

According to the present modification, with the cover 78 being mountedin the case 22, the outer side surfaces of the ridges 68 a, 68 b of thecover 78 are held in contact with the second vertical surfaces 47 a, 47b of the case body 36. Therefore, the optical axis of the light-emittingelement 12 is positioned on the axis of the tubular portion 80.

According to the present modification, since the engaging groove 88 andthe engaging projection 98 function as a rotation limiter, the lightguide body 79 that is mounted in the tubular portion 80 is suitablyprevented from rotating in the circumferential directions of the tubularportion 80.

According to the present modification, the mounting tooth 70 a, themounting tooth 70 c, the thick region 82 b, and the thick region 82 dare arranged side by side in the width-wise direction of thelight-emitting device 10B. The first stoppers 86 a, 86 b are disposed inpositions facing the thick regions 82 b, 82 d.

(Second Modification)

A light-emitting device 10B according to a second modification will bedescribed below with reference to FIGS. 17 and 18. In the presentmodification, parts which have identical or similar functions andeffects to those according to the first modification are denoted byidentical reference characters, and will not be described in detailbelow.

As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the light-emitting device 10B according tothe second modification has a cover 100 and a light guide body 102 whichare different in structure from the cover 78 and the light guide body 79described above. Specifically, the cover 100 has a tubular portion 104.

The tubular portion 104 has a second stopper 106 a projecting from anupper end of an inner circumferential surface of the thick region 82 a,and a second stopper 106 b projecting from an upper end of an innercircumferential surface of the thick region 82 c. Each of the secondstoppers 106 a, 106 b is of a tapered shape that is progressivelythinner toward the upper end thereof. The tubular portion 104 is notprovided with the grooves 90 a, 90 b described above. The light guidebody 102 is not provided with the convexities 96 a, 96 b describedabove.

With the light-emitting device 10B according to the presentmodification, in a state where the light guide body 102 is mounted inthe tubular portion 104, the lower end face of the main light guide body94 is held in abutment against the upper end faces of the first stoppers86 a, 86 b, and the upper end face of the main light guide body 94 isheld in abutment against the lower end faces of the second stoppers 106a, 106 b, whereby the light guide body 102 is positioned and held in thetubular portion 104.

Further, since it is not necessary to provide the convexities 96 a, 96 bdescribed above on the outer circumferential surface of the main lightguide body 94, the light guide body 102 is of a simpler structure. As aresult, the light-emitting device 10B can be manufactured at a reducedcost.

(Third Modification)

A light-emitting device 10C according to a third modification will bedescribed below with reference to FIG. 19. As shown in FIG. 19, thelight-emitting device 10C according to the third modification has acover 110 which is different in structure from the cover 24 describedabove. The cover 110 has a lens 112 formed thereon and which is of anelliptical shape as viewed in plan. The lens 112 has a major axisextending along the longitudinal direction of the cover 110.

In the present modification, when the light-emitting device 10C isassembled, the lens 112 is positioned between the mounting tooth 70 aand the mounting tooth 70 c, and positioned between the fixing finger Maand the fixing finger Mc. In a case where it is desired to prevent thelens 112 from being displaced in position and to increase supportingrigidity for the lens 112, since the mounting tooth 70 a, the mountingtooth 70 c, the fixing finger Ma, and the fixing finger Mc arepositioned in the vicinity of the lens 112, the lens 112 is suitablyprevented from being displaced in position with respect to the case 22and is also suitably prevented from being displaced in position withrespect to the vehicle body panel P. In other words, the supportingrigidity for the lens 112 is increased.

Furthermore, as the light-emitting device 10C according to the presentmodification has the lens 112 which is of an elliptical shape as viewedin plan, for example, in a case where the light-emitting device 10C isused as a light-emitting device for illuminating a door pocket of thevehicle, it can illuminate the door pocket along its shape by aligningthe major axis of the lens 112 with the direction in which the doorpocket extends.

According to the present modification, moreover, since the lens 112 isof an elliptical shape as viewed in plan, the light-emitting device 10Ccan be made compact in the widthwise direction thereof.

(Fourth Modification)

A light-emitting device 10D according to a fourth modification will bedescribed below with reference to FIGS. 20 and 21. As shown in FIG. 20,the light-emitting device 10D according to the fourth modification hasconnection terminals 120 a, 120 b and a case 122 which are different instructure from the connection terminals 20 a, 20 b and the case 22described above.

Specifically, the connection terminal 120 a has the adhered section 30,the curved section 32, and a lead section 124. The lead section 124extends from the other end of the curved section 32 in a direction awayfrom the adhered section 30, is bent substantially 90 degrees in awidthwise direction thereof, is further bent substantially 90 degrees,and extends in the direction away from the adhered section 30. In otherwords, the lead section 124 includes a bent portion 126 formed therein.

According to the present modification, a round chamfered portion 128 isdisposed between the other end of the lead section 124 (i.e., remotefrom the adhered section 30) and the bent portion 126. The lead section124 is of substantially the same width in its entirety. The connectionterminal 120 b is identical in structure to the connection terminal 120a, and hence will not be described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 21, the case 122 has a wall 130 disposed between thecase body 36 and the connector 38. The wall 130 has, on an upper surfacethereof, a placement groove 132 a in which the lead section 124 of theconnection terminal 120 a is placed, and a placement groove 132 b inwhich the lead section 124 of the connection terminal 120 b is placed.

The placement groove 132 a includes a bent groove portion 134 of a shapecorresponding to the shape of the bent portion 126 of the lead section124. The placement groove 132 b is identical in structure to theplacement groove 132 a.

According to the present modification, the through holes 26 a, 26 b inthe board 14 are shifted in position to one side from the widthwisecenter of the board 14, so that the other ends of the connectionterminals 120 a, 120 b are symmetrically disposed in the widthwisedirections with respect to the axis of the connector 38.

With the light-emitting device 10D according to the presentmodification, the connection terminals 120 a, 120 b have the respectivebent portions 126, and the placement grooves 132 a, 132 b have therespective bent groove portions 134 of shapes corresponding to theshapes of the bent portions 126. In a case where it is desired tominimize damage to the adhered sections (attached sections) 30, sincethe bent portions 126 abut against side wall surfaces of the bent grooveportions 134, i.e., the side wall surfaces act as load receivingportions, when the connector, not shown, is connected to the other endsof the lead sections 124 of the connection terminals 120 a, 120 b, it ispossible to prevent excessive stress from being applied to the adheredsections 30. Therefore, the adhered sections 30 are appropriatelyprevented from being damaged.

According to the present modification, each of the connection terminals120 a, 120 b may be provided with a plurality of bent portions 126. Inthis case, by bending the bent portions 126 in one direction, the pluralbent portions 126 contribute to making the light-emitting device 10Ccompact in the widthwise directions.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but mayemploy various arrangements without departing from the scope of theinvention. The light-emitting devices according to the present inventionare not limited to an application for illuminating the passengercompartment of a vehicle.

For example, the light-emitting devices 10, 10A through 10D mayincorporate a plurality of light-emitting elements 12 mounted on theboard 14.

The light-emitting devices 10, 10A through 10D may be arranged such thatthe distance L1 from the lower end faces 69 a, 69 b of the ridges 68 a,68 b to the upper end faces of the mounting teeth 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, 70 dis the same as the distance L2 from the mounting surface 16 of the board14 to the upper ends of the mounting holes 52 a, 52 b, 52 c, 52 d. Inthis case, the board 14 is not essentially pressed by the ridges 68 a,68 b, but can be held with respect to the case body 36 by contactresistance between the lower end faces 69 a, 69 b of the ridges 68 a, 68b and the mounting surface 16 of the board 14.

Instead of the mounting teeth 70 a, 70 b, 70 c, 70 d, mounting holes maybe defined in the protrusions 62 a, 62 b of the covers 24, 78, 100, 110,and instead of the mounting holes 52 a, 52 b, 52 c, 52 d, mounting teethmay be provided on the side walls 46 a, 46 b of the case body 36. Inthis case, the cover 24 can also easily be mounted in the case 22.

The numbers, positions, and shapes of the mounting holes 52 a through 52d, the mounting teeth 70 a through 70 d, and the fixing fingers Ma, 54 bcan be changed appropriately.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A light-emitting device comprising: aboard; a light-emitting element mounted on a surface of the board; apair of connection terminals for supplying electric power to the board;and a case on which the board is placed, the case includes a case bodyextending in one direction; and a cover mounted on the case, wherein thecase body comprises a first end being one of the ends in a longitudinaldirection and a second end being another of the ends in the longitudinaldirection, the case further includes a connector extending from thesecond end of the case body in a direction opposite to the one directionso as to be integral with the case body, the connector being configuredto accommodate the pair of connection terminals, an opening is formed onan upper surface of the case, the opening extending from the case bodyto the connector, the case body further comprises a pair of side wallsfacing each other with an interval in a width direction perpendicular tothe longitudinal direction, the cover is arranged at the opening so asto cover the surface of the board and the pair of connection terminals,the cover extends to a positioned farther from the first end than thepair of connection terminals, a pair of mounting teeth protrudingoutward from each of side surfaces of the cover extending along thelongitudinal direction, a pair of holes configured to engage with thepair of mounting teeth are formed in each of the pair of side wallsalong the longitudinal direction with a space therebetween, a fixingfinger configured to engage with an attachment target is formed on eachof outer surfaces of the pair of side walls, and a midpoint between thepair of holes is positioned between the second end and a center of thecase body in the longitudinal direction of the case body, and a centerof the fixing finger is positioned between the second end and the centerof the case body, in the longitudinal direction of the case body.
 2. Thelight-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a part of theopening extending in the connector is narrower than a part of theopening extending in the case body.
 3. The light-emitting deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the opening extends from the first end ofthe case body to the connector.
 4. The light-emitting device accordingto claim 1, wherein a surface of the connector where the opening isformed and a surface of the case body where the opening is formed lie ina same plane with each other.
 5. The light-emitting device according toclaim 1, wherein the cover comprises: a light guide body that guideslight emitted from the light-emitting element; and wherein the pair ofmounting teeth are formed in the cover at a lateral side of the lightguide body.
 6. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, whereinthe cover is thinner than the case body and thinner than the connector.7. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein shapes of theopening and the cover are substantially same in a plan view.
 8. Thelight-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein an area of an entirepart of the opening extending in the case body is greater than an areaof an entire part of the opening extending in the connector.
 9. Thelight-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the case includes abottom, a pair of steps rising from the bottom at both lateral ends ofthe support member, and the pair of side walls respectively continuousfrom the pair of steps.
 10. The light-emitting device according to claim9, wherein the pair of steps extend along the pair of side walls. 11.The light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a part of thecover covering the opening extending in the case body is narrower thanthe case body in a plan view, and a part of the cover covering theopening extending in the connector is narrower than the connector in theplan view.
 12. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, whereinthe cover includes a main cover body having substantially rectangularshape in a plan view, and a cover extension extending from one end ofthe main cover body and narrower than the main cover body.
 13. Thelight-emitting device according to claim 5, wherein the cover includes amain cover body having substantially rectangular shape in a plan view,and a cover extension extending from one end of the main cover body andnarrower than the main cover body, and the light guide body is mountedon the main cover body.
 14. A vehicle body panel comprising the lightemitting device according to claim
 1. 15. A method of producing alight-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of holesare formed by a side of the fixing finger, comprising the steps of:mounting the board with the light-emitting element attached on thesurface of the board on the case body, and assembling the cover to thecase so as to cover the surface of the board.
 16. The method ofproducing a light-emitting device according to claim 15, wherein thecover includes a light guide body that guides light emitted from thelight-emitting element, and the pair of mounting teeth protrude outwardfrom the cover at a lateral side of the light guide body, and in theassembling step, the cover is assembled to the case by engaging the pairof mounting teeth with the case body in a manner that the surface of theboard is covered by the cover and light emitted from the light emittingelement is allowed to pass through the light guide body.
 17. The methodof producing a light-emitting device according to claim 15, wherein thecase body includes a bottom surface and the pair of side walls risingfrom the bottom surface with a pair of steps respectively interveningbetween the bottom surface and the pair of side walls and continuousfrom the pair of side walls.
 18. The method of producing alight-emitting device according to claim 17, wherein the pair of stepsextend along the pair of side walls.
 19. The method of producing alight-emitting device according to claim 15, wherein the cover includesa main cover body having substantially rectangular shape in a plan view,and a cover extension extending from one end of the main cover body andnarrower than the main cover body.
 20. The method of producing alight-emitting device according to claim 16, wherein the cover includesa main cover body having substantially rectangular shape in a plan view,and a cover extension extending from one end of the main cover body andnarrower than the main cover body, and the light guide body is mountedon the main cover body.
 21. A method of assembling the light-emittingdevice according to claim 1 to a vehicle body panel, comprising thesteps of: bringing the fixing finger into contact with a retainingportion of the vehicle body panel; and fitting the fixing finger to theretaining portion by pressing the fixing finger toward the vehicle bodypanel in a state where the fixing finger is being brought into contactwith the retaining portion.